Despite the fact that students are what keep the university alive, we don’t seem to have too many rights. Ridiculous tuition hikes occur yearly, as the expected pool of loans we’ll soon drown in, and spend the rest of our lives paying off, get deeper and deeper.
Even though the syllabus and level of information taught remains the same, textbooks get more and more expensive. But one of the most annoying things students deal with has to do with attendance. We’ve all seen our class mates fall victim to the consequences of irritating tardy attendance policies, or even faced them personally. Time and time again we see students a few minutes late to class that are denied entry or not even acknowledged if they choose to stay.
Although school is a top priority for most, many of us have other obligations that at times may supercede being on time or even attending class for that day. For some it may be a job or internship opportunity. For others, it may be team related practice or honestly, sometimes the need to get some extra sleep.
But if college is supposed to prepare you and help you make intelligent decisions, then students should have the right to decide when or if they want to attend a class they pay for without the risk of getting a lower letter grade.
If given the choice, I think students would do what they need to do to pass the class.
But the bottom line is, if I pay for a class then I should have the right to appear when or if I want to.
My tuition helps pay the salary of professors that should be at our disposal, whether I’m in class or not.
Yewande Addie for the Editorial Board.